The DFG-Priority Programme 1158 – Antarctic research with comparative investigations in Arctic ice areas

The understanding of the roles that the Antarctic and Arctic play in the Earth system can only be fully attained with multi-disciplinary co-ordinated research. Polar research - and in particular Antarctic research - is significantly more dependent than other scientific disciplines on logistic possibilities and specific scientific infrastructure.

For nearly thirty years, the German Antarctic research has been supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The DFG-Priority Programme 1158 on Antarctic research with comparative investigations in Arctic ice areas is a multi disciplinary approach dedicated to German Antarctic researchers. With the aid of the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 research groups from the universities have an opportunity to benefit from the equipment and logistics of the Alfred Wegener Institute of Bremerhaven and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Hannover. The comprehensive integration of the universities into the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 has formally and will continue be the main promotional tool to sensitise German young academics for the Antarctic and Arctic and to train coming generations of polar scientists.

Initiated as an Antarctic research programme, in the first years the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 concentrated exclusively upon the Antarctic. However to be able to examine more extensively the coupling mechanisms between the poles and adjacent areas in the earth system, especially against the ongoing discussion on global climate dynamics, the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 was extended in 1997 to include comparative investigations in the Arctic. The scientific results achieved in the programme phases 2003-2007 and 2008-20012 are outlined in detail on these Internet pages. The results show that, supported by this promotion tool, a broadly diversified, highly qualified and motivated group of German scientist exists, which clearly contribute to essential questions of international polar research. The web site of the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 shall act as a drop-in centre for the application of research projects and a communication medium for young as well as experienced polar researchers.

Just like individual parts of a jigsaw, the individual parts of the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 logo interlock. The logo showing the shape of the Antarctic continent and the adjacent ocean symbolises its multi disciplinal approach. Even if in part due to the German contribution to polar research, Antarctic is no longer seen as a "terra incognita", the white colour shall symbolise the wish that Antarctic will exclusively be used in a peaceful manner, particularly for the purposes of the science.

Significance for the German polar research

For almost thirty years, the co-ordinated support of the German polar research under the guidance of the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 has enabled a large number of German university and external-university scientists from all scientific branches could perform important contributions to the most important scientific questions in the pole areas.

The DFG-Priority Programme 1158 of the German Research Foundation (i) provides the funds required for the research and furthermore (ii) defines the frame for the co-ordinated interdisciplinary research and its international integration. This would not be performable to the same extend or in the same manner with the DFG-promotion tool DFG "normal procedure".

The strong integration of the universities into polar research has led to the fact that this subject becoming a prominent component of the lectures/teaching today. The integration of both, the universities and research institutes has also contributed to the fact that a large number of excellently qualified and motivated up-and-coming researchers are available for the growing requirements of polar research.

The DFG-Priority Programme 1158 on Antarctic research has additionally strongly contributed to the current presence and high ranking of German polar research and science, in spite of the relatively late re-entrance following World War II

Fig. 1: Scientists from German Universities, the Alfred Wegener Institute of Bremerhaven and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources of Hannover in 2010 in front of the Gondwana station, North Victoria Land, East Antarctica.

The role of the poles in the Earth system

Due to its special physical and chemical properties, the Antarctic plays many special roles in the climate and earth system. One example is for instance the strong reflection of the solar radiation from ice and snow, which forces the temperature gradient to the tropics and affects global atmospheric circulation. Other examples for its unique status in the world climate system are the formation of cold air masses and the specific changes of the chemical composition of the stratosphere during the southern winter and the formation of deep cold-water masses in the southern ocean.

Due to their special physical and chemical properties, a unique flora and fauna characterise the Polar Regions. Both, flora and fauna are perfectly adapted to these environmental conditions. However they are very sensitive to climate change, which makes them an ideal climate indicator.

Apart from its importance for the climate system, the polar ice sheets - especially the Antarctic - preserve unique climate archives. Its peculiarity is that only from these contain information that can derive on the composition of the paleo-atmosphere, dating back up to 800.000 years.

In addition, further information on the dynamics of ice sheets can only be found in geological archives. These include the sediment layers of marine basins, shelf areas close to the edge of the ice, and periglacial lakes and coastal water in ice-free areas. The archived biological and geological information in the deep-sea marine sediments also enable the reconstruction of the paleo-geography of sedimentary basins at the time of the opening of the circumpolar deep sea water circulation that are essential for today global energy and mass transport.

The importance of the Polar Regions in the Earth system was also reflected in the third International Polar Year (IPY). Initiated by the International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, the IPY was announced for the period March 2007 to March 2009. The International Polar Year 2007/2008 led to significantly greater interest of polar topics in the public domain. The IPY further led to an intensification of the international polar research and a better coordination of research, for example, with the first synoptic survey, bipolar records and observations by pooling international resources. The success of the German IPY activities is principally based on the former activities and results of the DFG-Priority Programme 1158.

Fig. 2: Climate archive "lake sediments": Under optimal conditions, lake sediments allow for a high temporal resolution review of the climate and environmental history.

Conception for the current application period 2008-2012

Since its establishment more than 25 years ago, the DFG-Priority Programme on Antarctic Research has been divided into the thematic subdivisions of physics/chemistry, biology and earth science. This scheme corresponds to the structure of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, which includes respective Standing Scientific Groups.

Although this structure has proven itself in principle for the DFG-Priority Programme 1158, it doesn't reflect the growing need for inter- and multi-disciplinary research in a sufficient manner. Because of this, during the current funding period specialized and interdisciplinary subject areas that contribute to a better understanding of the role of the Polar Regions in a complex global climate system will be emphasised.

What subject-specific and interdisciplinary topics in the DFG-Priority Programme 1158 will be primarily processed in the period 2008-2012 and how these fit together is portrayed in the left diagram.